Stoker mechanism



April 10, 1928.

. 1,665,943 A. E. WEINGARTNER STOKER MECHANISM Filed March 18, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l April 10, 1928.

A. E. WEINGARTNER STOKER MEGHANI SM 2 Sheets-She et 2 Filed March 18. 1924 Patented Apr. 10, 1928.

I UNITED STATES v 1,665,943 PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY E. WEINGARTNER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN ENGINEERING COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A COR- PORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

sroxnn MECHANISM.

Application filed March 18, 1924. Serial No. 700,036.

My invention relates to stokers, having particular relation to automatic stoker feeding mechanism.

In its broadest aspect, the object of my invention is to provide means for releasably connecting a driving memberhaving a relatively long stroke and a driven member having a relatively short stroke, whereby one member may be disconnected from the other, when it has completed its stroke, without interfering with the continued operation of the other member.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a combination comprising a driving member having relatively long in and out strokes, a driven member having relatively short in and out strokes, and means for so operatively'associating said members that said driven member may traverse substantially uninterruptedly an in and out stroke, while said driving member is traversing its in and out stroke.

Another object of my invention is to provide stoker feeding mechanism. comprising a driving member, a driven grate structure, a toggle-joint for operatively associating the driving member and the grate structure when the toggle-joint is in its extended position, means for maintaining the toggle-jolnt in its extended position only when the force exerted by the driving member on the grate structure is below a predetermined value, adjustable means for varying the driving force necessary to cause the'collapse of the togglejoint, and resilient means tending to move the toggle-joint. from its collapsed sition.

Other objects and applications 0 my invention, as well as details of construction and of operation, whereby my invention ma be practiced, will be apparent from the to lowing description andclaims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawin wherein ig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the front portion of an inclined underieed stoker embodying my invention;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged top plan, side elevation and end views, respectively, of the releasable toggle mechanism for operably associating the pusher apparatus with the movable grate structure; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the toggle-joint in its collapsed position.

In the illustrated form of the embodimentof my invention shown in Fig. 1 of the drawmgs, an inclined automatic stoker 1 of the underfeed type extends from a furnace openmg 2 in a front wall 3 to a main supporting beam 4 which is spaced from the wall 3. The stoker 1 may comprise a plurality of series of inclined tuyeres 5 and a corresponding plurality of series of retorts 6 alternating therewith, only one series of each, however, being shown. A dead plate 7 is positioned to the rear and immediately below the retorts 6. The base portion of the retorts 6 may comprise a series of pushers 8 which are operatively associated by means of a pusher rod 9 with a depending portion 11 Ma hydraulically actuated piston 12 mounted in a cylinder 13. The cylinder 13' is adapted to receive coal from a hopper 14:, whereby the piston 12 may positively feed coal through the furnace opening 2 down into the retorts 6, the reciprocation of the pushersv 8 then forcing the coal out of the retorts 6 up on to the tuyere plates 5.

Inasmuch as the stroke of the pushers 8 is much less than that of the piston 12, I mount on the pusher rod 9 spaced abutments 15 and 16. The abutments 15 and 16- are so spaced on opposite sides of the reciprocatory piston portion 11 that they are successively engaged by the piston portion 11 to cause the, desired pusher stroke. The stroke of the pusher 8 may be varied by adjusting the relative position of one of the abutments, say 16, with respect to the other abutment 15. In one practical installation, satisfactory results were obtained with a pusher stroke of six inches.

The structure shown in Fig. 1 further comprises a movable, overfeed grate section 17 which is 'slidably positioned just below the dead plate 7 on a supporting structure 18.

Experience has shown that this grate section should have a slight in-and-out movement of, say, two inches. Since it is desirable to actuate the overfeed section 17 directly from the pushers 8 in order to avoid making the stoker structure unduly complex, and since the stroke of the driving pushers 8 is much longer than that of the driven overfeed grate section 17, it is apparent that special connecting means must be provided,

.whereby each of the movable members may transverse its path of travel uninterruptedly without interfering with the other, and it is that the grate rod 21 is not reciprocated upon the reciprocation of the member 19. The pusher member 19 and the grate rod 21 may be operatively connected by a collapsible toggle-joint 24. One element of the tog- I spectively,

- the collapse of the same until of its close proximity to the furnace fuel bed.

abutment 22 depending uponstrokeof the grate rod 21.

gle-joint may comprise a pair of toggle links 25 and 26 which have their inner ends, pivotally mounted on trunnions 27 and 28, re-

carried by a trunnion member 29 slidably mounted on the grate rod 21 intermediate the pusher member 19 and the abutment 23. The outer ends of the toggle links 25 and 26 are bifurcated to receive depending portions 31 and 32, respectively, of a remainin element 33 of the toggle-joint 24. The adjacent end portions just-mentioned are provided with aligned perforations to receive a toggle-swivel pin 34.

The other end of the toggle element 33 is provided with spaced portions 35 and 36 which are adapted toembrace trunnions 37 and 38, respectively, extending from opposite sides of the abutment 23. A set screw 39, which extends through the toggle element 33 and into engagement with the grate rod 21, serves to prevent the toggle 24 from opening beyond a predetermined extent. counterweight 41 is carried by links 42 which engage the ends of the toggle pin 34, whereby a predetermined force maybe exerted upon the toggle-joint 24 tending1 to prevent t e force exerted by the pusher member 19 on the grate rod 21 exceeds a predetermined value, all as will be apparent more fully hereinafter. 'An

advantage of aweight over a spring for counterweighting purposes is that a weight is not afiected by the relatively high temperatures to which it is subjected by reason A spring 43 may be provided on the portion of the grate shaft 21 between the abut-.

ment 23 and the slidable, trunnion-supporting member 29, whereby a force may e exerted on the relativel movable toggle parts in addition to that o theco'unterweight 41, when the toggle-joint is in its collapsed position, said force facilitating the return of the toggle-joint .to its extended position. One or more liners 44 may be positioned intermediate the pusher member 19 and the the desired the emma in operation, assuming the grate structure 17 and the pusher member 19 at one end of their path of travel, the relative arrangement of the parts is as shown in Fig. 3, wherein it is noted that the toggle-joint 24 is held in its extended position under the action of the counterweight 41.

When the pusher member 19 is moved for wardly or outwardly'under the action of the piston 12, the grate rod 21 is correspondingly actuated inasmuch as the counterweight 41 holds the toggle-joint 24 in its extended position. WVhen the grate section 17 has been moved to the other end of its path of travel, the force exerted by the pusher member 19 on the grate rod 21 increases until it becomes greater than that exerted by the weight 41, whereupon the toggle-joint 24 collapses and the pushers 8 continue to the end of their path of traveL. The relative arrangement of the toggle parts, when in their collapsed position, is as shown in Fig. 5, wherein it is noted that the spring 43 is under compression.

On the return movement of the pushers 8, the slidable member 29 under the action of the weight 41 and the spring 43 is caused to follow the-pusher member 19, the togglejoint 24 finally assumin the extended position shown in Fig. 3. s the pusher.member 19 engages the liners 44, the continued movement of the pusher member 19 causes a corresponding movement of the overfeed grate section 17 from one end of its ath of travel to the other end thereof. en the pusher member 19 is again actuated, the foregoing operation is repeated. It is noted that a positive connection is maintained be- A tween the pusher member 19 and the grate rod 21 for both in and out movements of the grate rod 21. That is to say, for a certain period of time, the pusher member 19 is directly connected to the driven member 21 so as to exert a in opposite directions. As a result, the grate section 17 traverses substantially uninterruptedly an in-and out stroke whi e the pusher member 19 traverses an in and out stroke. One advantage of thus projecting and immediately retracting the extension grate 17 is a-better disposal of the ashes.

The set screw 39 in addition to limiting force thereon as it moves the extension of the toggle-joint 24 further permits of variations in the eifectiveness of the counterweight 41 since the force which usher element 19 must exert on the ss weight 41 and thereby cause the buckling of the toggle-j'oint24 is a function of the angle of said toggle elements.

While I have shown but one embodiment ofmy inventlon, for the purpose of describing the same and illustrating its principles of construction and of operation, it is ap parent that various changes and m e-joint 24 to overcome the countertions may be made therein without departing from the spiritand scope of my invention. I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed thereon as are indicated in the appended claims or as are demanded by the prior art.

I claim:

1. A pair of reciprocatory members having different strokes, a toggle-joint having the ends thereof operatively associated with said members, respectively, and a weight carried by the toggle-joint tending to maintain the same in its extended position.

I 2. A driving member, a driven member, a toggle-joint for operatively associating said members, said toggle-joint having a collapsed inefiective position, a weight for exerting av force on said toggle-joint, whereby the same may be prevented from moving into its inefiective position only when the force exerted by the driving member on the driven member is below a predetermined value, and

means forvarying the effect of said weight.

3. In combination, a driving member, a driven member, a toggle-joint for interconnecting said members, said toggle-joint having an extended POSiiiOIl, wherein said members are operatively associated, and a collapsed position, wherein said operative connection is broken, resilient means tending to move said toggle-joint from its collapsed position, a weight for exerting a force on said toggle-joint tending to maintain the same in its extended positlon under predetermined operatin conditions, and means for adjustin the eectiveness of said weight.

4. Sto er mechanism comprising a pusher having a shoulder, a rod having abutments positioned on the opposite sides of said shoulder, and means comprising a togglejoint for operatively connecting said shoulder and said rod' only when said rod is traversin its path of travel.

5. A riving reciprocatory member, a driven member adjacent thereto, a togglejomt having thd'ends thereof operativel associated with said members, respectively, a weight secured to said toggle-joint for mamtaimng said toggle-joint in its extended position only when the force exerted by said driying member on said driven member remams below a predetermined value, and adjustable means for varying the effectiveness of said weight, said driven member having greie end supported by said driving mem- 6. 'Stoker mechanism comprisinga movable retort wall having a shoulder, a grate rod having abutments respectively positioned on opposite sides of said shoulder, means comprising a toggle-joint for, operatively connecting said rod and said rod only when said shoulder is traversing its path of travel, and means for adjusting the efiectiveness of sald toggle.

tended effective position and a collapsed in effective position, means for normally mamtaining said toggle-joint in its extended position, means for adjusting the effectiveness of said last-mentioned means, and resilient means operable to move said toggle-joint from its collapsed position.

8. In combination, a driving member having a relatively long stroke, a driven member having a relatively short stroke, said driving member providing a slidable mounting for said driven member, said driven member being provided with a shoulder adapted to engage said driving member, a second shoulder formed on said driven member and spaced from said first shoulder a predetermined distance, a toggle-joint having the ends thereof operatively associated with said second shoulder and said driving member, respectively, and means for maintaining said driving member in engagement with said first-mentioned shoulder during a predetermined portion of the stroke of the driven member.

9. In combination, a driving member having a relatively long stroke, a driven member having a relativel short stroke, said driving member providing a slidable mounting for said driven member, said driven member being provided with a [shoulder adapted to engage said driving member, a second shoulder formed on said driven mem ber and spaced from said first shoulder a predetermined distance, a toggle-joint 0 er- .atively associated with said second shou der and said driving member, meansfor maintaming said drlvmg member 1n engagement with said first shoulder during a predetermined portion of the stroke of the driven member, and adjustable means for varying the efiectiveness of said last-mentioned means.

10. In combination, a driving member having a relatively long stroke, a driven member having a relatively short stroke; said drivin member providing a slidable mounting or said driven member, said driven member being provided with a shoulder adapted to engage said driving member, a' second shoulder formed on said driven member and spaced from said first shoulder a predetermined distance, a toggle-joint hav- 7 ing the ends thereof 0 eratively associated with said second shoul er and said driving member, respectively, means for maintaining said driving member in engagement with said first shoulder during a predetermined portion of the stroke of the driven member, adjustable means for varying the effectiveness of said last-mentioned means, and resilient means for exerting a force on the toggle-joint when the same is in its collapsed position.

11. In stoker feeding mechanism, the combination with a reciprocatory driving member, of a reciprocatory driven grate rod, means forming a shoulder on said grate rod adapted to engage one side of said driving member, means foifming a second shoulder on said grate rod positioned on the other side of said driving member, a tog le-joint having the ends thereof operative y associated with said driving member and said second shoulder, respectively, and a weight carried by said toggle-joint for maintaining the same inits extended position only when the force exerted on said driven member does not exceed a predetermined value.

12. A'stoker feeding mechanism comprising a driving member having a relatively driven member is traversing its path of travel, means for adjusting the relative angle of the elements constituting the togglejoint when the same is in its extended position and resilient means tending to move memes the toggle-joint from its collapsed position to its extended position.

13. A stoker feeding mechanism comprising a depending apertured drivin member, a grate rod extending through sai aperture, abutments rigidly secured to said grate rod on'opposite sides of said dependin member, and means comprising a togg e-joint operative to connect said members only when said driven member is traversing its path of travel. I

14-. A stoker feeding mechanism comprising :1 depending apertured driving member having a relatively long stroke, a rate rod extending through said aperture, a utments rigidly secured to said grate rod on opposite sides of said de ending member, amember slidably mounted on said grate rod intermediate said driving member and one of said abutments, said last-mentioned abutment and said slidable member being provided with trunnions, and means for operatively connecting said driving and driven members only when the force exerted b the driving member on the driven mem does not exceed a predetermined value, said means comprising a to gle-joint having a pair of toggle-links carried by the trunnions .on said slidable member,'a toggle member pivotally mounted on the trunmons carried by said rigid abutment, a toggle swivel-pin for operatively associating said, toggle-links and said last-mentioned member, a counterweight, a link for supporting saidcounterweight on said swivel-pin, a set-screw extending through said to gle member and into engagement with sai grate-rod, and a spring encirclin said rate-rod. Y

airrnofir E. INGARTNER. 

